Tag: ‘Camp’

Summer Camp, Cardrona, NZ09 with Olympian Lesely Mckenna

Posted by Lesley McKenna on March 2nd, 2009

I am organsing a training camp in New Zealand this summer. It will be three weeks long and will run from the 25th July to the 15th of August. I have organised it through Cardrona who have given me a good deal on lift passes and training facilities. They are going to get their World Cup half pipe and slopestyle ready in time for the camp and will also have a boarder cross track. There is also some great free riding to be had at Cardrona.

The camp is open to all freestyle snowboard competitors already competing at national and international level and is especially aimed at those who are ready for TTR 4 and 5 star events as well as FIS Europa Cup and World Cup level. Lower level riders will also be accommodated.

The camp will include:

Training:
three blocks of 5 days on snow coaching in the park and pipe.
snowboard specific dryland training 4 times a week.
yoga sessions 4 times a week.
mental and psychological competition training.
goal setting and time management advice and training.
equipment tuning and maintenance training and advice.
Cardrona season pass is included in the camp price.
(if people want to stay and ride on their own after the camp they can use the season pass. I will be able to help people find accommodation in Wanaka if they wish to stay)

Competition:
The NZ Burton Open will take place the first week of August and we will aim to participate.

Accommodation and transport:
accommodation will be included in the camp price and will be of a high standard. We will be staying in Wanaka.
transport to and from the mountain each day and to and from the airport will be included.

The price for the camp will be around 6000 New Zealand Dollars,(approx 2400 euros, £2100) not including flights. The price will go down if there is a lot of interest in the camp and this is a max price.

The numbers on the camp will be limited and I will need confirmation and payment by the start of May. I will be sending out more detailed information soon but for now, if you are interested or have any questions regarding the camp, please email lesley@lesleymckenna.com

Thanks
Lesley

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Curtain closes on Hawaii Project

Posted by Joel Gray on November 27th, 2008

GROMS RETURN HOME AFTER MONTH ON NORTH SHORE

After a great month on the North Shore of Hawaii the 5 National Champion junior surfers returned back to their chilly home waters of England, Wales and Ireland.

The trip was a huge success with a constant supply of North West swells and some fantastic early season conditions with minimal crowds resulting in sky high stoke levels.

The initiative was the brainchild of Surf Solutions coach Joel Gray and yet again he was assisted by Martin Connolly from Discovery Surf School. Completing the team was top European lens man Roger Sharp (www.surfphoto.co.uk).

Tassy Swallow (St Ives) and Beth Mason (Wales) were the only 2 girls on the trip and they were joined by Josh Piper and George Picking (Newquay) and Aaron Reid (Ireland).

The 5 surfers underwent an intensive month of surfing, training, coaching and experiences and left the North Shore with a head full of memories alongside the development in their own surfing.

George Picking summarises. “Hawaii has got to be the best place I’ve ever been. It’s amazing. The island itself is really nice and the people are cool too but the waves are epic. Being there for a month was definitely a good idea because we got to catch lots of different swells, like big Sunset, to sick Off-the-Wall and then practice at Larni’s and Rockys too, which I loved. Watching the pros was definitely a bonus. To see how they surf for real and to be in the water with the top guys and competing for waves definitely brings you up a level I think. Hawaii definitely pushes you. I feel its definitely improved my surfing and its one of the best trips of my life. Loved it!”

The main focus of this and all other Surf Solutions Projects is technical coaching. This was achieved mainly through video analysis from land and board cams, various group and individual goal setting, drills and feedback. They also spent time working on psychological issues with clip boards full of questionnaires for analysis pre, during and post surf.

Aside from the specific coaching an overall aim is giving the young surfers a good, solid introduction to Hawaii. “Hawaii is the ultimate proving ground and it is the traditional end of year contest finale. What we are trying to do is get the groms as comfortable as possible both in the water and on land. To achieve this we have a fantastic beach side accommodation, great SUV car, and links with the best surfboard shapers in Tokoro and Bushman. We try to get them involved with the community and get in a routine. We did Yoga at the Turtle Bay resort, had bikes to ride along the bike path, physical training, tourist trips. We’d spend time with the XCEL guys and take in their contest and the Haleiwa start of the Triple Crown. The overall idea is to get them as comfortable as possible so that they can concentrate on the waves and the surfing and of course put them in a better position for the future. One day I hope some of these kids will be coming back and competing in the Triple Crown events on their own. This provides the perfect start for them.” Joel Gray

Each day the surfers get voted for a surfer of the day award and at the end of the trip these are tallied up and a ‘King of the Rock’ is crowned. This year the accolade went to Aaron Reid from Sligo, Ireland. (See photo) “The Hawaii Project was an amazing trip. I had a lot of fun and the waves are really good for training on, which I suppose is why it gets the name ” the proving grounds”. The other guys really pushed me to surf better and it was so good surfing with all the pros too. The coaching was top notch and some of the fitness work was extreme hard going but definitely worth it. I’m happy to go home and work on my techniques on my home turf. I really feel I benefited from the trip. It was sick.” (Aaron Reid)

Surf Solutions Hawaii Project will return again in 2009 and interested junior surfers are urged to get in touch. For more information on that and other Projects take a look at the website.
www.surfsolutions.tv

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